


Hard Feelings

by nancypants (cah_avengers)



Series: Kepcobi Melodrama [2]
Category: Wolf 359 (Radio)
Genre: A little bit of the others too, M/M, also there’s a gun, have a feeling our babes won’t escape quite so easily, hmmmm canon divergent, teen for the language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2019-02-06 11:37:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12816693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cah_avengers/pseuds/nancypants
Summary: Jacobi has established a new life on Earth. Everything is fine until he’s visited by his old commander.





	1. Visit

Jacobi pulled himself from the airlock, struggling against gravity, water, sand, and the pain in his back as he trudged up the beach. The others were scattered about; Lovelace half carrying a nearly unconscious Eiffel, and Minkowski climbing the dunes to look for help.

The Sol’s landing procedure had worked perfectly, the hull weathering the heat of re-entry, thrusters counteracting gravity, to safely carry them to earth. Finally, taking them home. Then as they neared a beach somewhere along the United States’ East Coast for a water landing, a thruster engine exploded and sent the craft off balance, tumbling toward the earth before systems could adjust to the emergency.

They’d splashed down too hard, slamming their bodies down into their seats hard enough that Jacobi thought he might have a cracked rib. The back of his head was bleeding as well, but at least he hadn’t hit his quite like Eiffel had.

Jacobi sank to his knees once he was clear of the waterline, then looked up at Minkowski.

“Renee!” He hissed when pain shot through his back and lung. Perhaps no yelling.

He watched Minkowski scan their surroundings before sliding back down the sand dune. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and sat heavily in front of Jacobi. “How bad are you hurt?”

Jacobi shook his head. “I’ll be fine. Eiffel needs attention. But...I know someone saw us. Things like that don’t fall from the sky without ending up on several sensors. So they’ll come for us whether you tire yourself out looking for someone or not.”

Minkowski set her jaw. “I know. I just...I don’t want to wait.”

Jacobi just nodded. He understood her perfectly. All they’d seen for the past six months was each other. It almost felt like the four—technically three—of them were the last humans alive. Seeing another human would confirm that they had won. That they were home.

Lovelace dropped a scrap of the landing parachute and then eased Eiffel to the sand, cradling his head before lowering it onto the material. “His head is bleeding pretty badly. He’s kind of out of it too. Let’s hope we get some company soon.”

Eiffel groaned and squinted up at the sun. Their sun. “Company? I haven’t even set the table yet..”

Lovelace moved to block the light and shade Eiffel’s face.

“Can’t imagine they’ll take their time investigating an unscheduled—“ Jacobi was cut off by the sound of a helicopter. “Right on cue.”

The three lucid ones of the group watched the dunes, waiting for their rescuers to come into view. Soon three Helicopters broke into view and began their descent.

They shielded their faces as sand sprayed at them with the force of the blades.

“Don’t move! Everybody on your knees, hands behind your head!”

Jacobi squinted at their rescuers, at their black Kevlar suits and black rifles. His hands slowly moved to the back of his head. Lovelace reluctantly did the same.

Several more soldiers rushed forward and began to cuff them. All of them except Eiffel. A team ran forward with a stretcher and moved him onto it before strapping him down.

“You.” A soldier pointed her rifle at Lovelace. “Anyone else trapped in there?”

“Hera!” Eiffel’s head lolled to the side, trying to get a glimpse of the Sol. “You can’t leave Hera!”

The soldier furrowed her brow and looked from Eiffel back to Lovelace.

“Our onboard AI.” Lovelace clarified.

“Who do you work for?”

“We worked for Goddard Futuristics.”

The soldier raised a brow and made a signal to her troops.

Jacobi was yanked to his feet. He huffed against the pain in his rib.

They were herded up the beach, over the dunes and toward the helicopters.

The next several months were filled with hospitals, interrogations, and cheap government supplied food. Jacobi saw nothing of the others for almost five weeks until Eiffel’s memory had recovered well enough to finally give a clear and matching account of the events to corroborate everyone’s story.

Finally reunited, they would all sit together in bland recreation rooms, half-heartedly playing go fish or watching some old movie. Though Jacobi hated to admit it, they felt safe. They were all he had now and the only people he’d ever trust again.

One day found Minkowski missing from their daily group time. But fifteen minutes later, before they could really start to panic, she strolled into the room wearing a rare smile.

Jacobi dropped his cards on the table and looked up.

“Heyyyy, commander!” Eiffel grinned.

Lovelace stood up, slightly breathless. “Where have you been?”

“I’ve got some good news.”

They would be taking part in the witness protection program.

Based on the team’s account, the FBI raided a Goddard lab, finding enough evidence to bring the entire company under investigation. With Pryce and Carter missing, either stranded in space or making the several month long journey home, it was a much easier task to carry out.

So Minkowski and her crew, with such large roles in the company’s downfall, would be placed into witness protection. They’d be given new identities and new lives. And after some very heavy persuasion and a heated argument from Minkowski, they’d all be placed together. In the same town.

Jacobi knew Renee had a husband. But she said nothing of him being relocated with them. She was giving him up for them. And maybe for her husband too. Maybe she thought he had too much to lose.

Hera was recovered from the Sol’s computer once her memory had been copied for evidence. Jacobi had even taken it upon himself to sit in on the session that transferred her to a beefy computer that would travel with them to their new home.

 

Three months later, Robert Maxwell, the newest employee at the RadioShack in some town in Washington no one has ever heard of, rubbed his eyes and shuffled into his kitchen. “Hey Hera, can you start the coffee for me?”

She groaned. “You know, all you have to do is press the button.”

“Mm, yes, but I integrated you into every smart appliance in this place so I wouldn’t have to. Anyone else awake yet?”

“Eiffel is still asleep, of course. And the girls are out for a jog. They wanted me to remind you that you’re hosting movie night. Aaaand that if you’re going to cook as badly as you did last time, maybe you should just order in. For everyone’s sake.”

He smiled. “Yeah, not a bad idea.”

There was a knock on the door and he frowned.

“Hera, you watching?”

“Always.”

He opened a drawer in the kitchen and pulled out his gun. He set it in a bowl on the small table by the door and covered it with his mail.

He took a deep breath and opened the door.

“Jacobi.” A deadly smile and unmistakable accent.

Daniel threw the door closed and grabbed his gun from its hiding place.

Kepler caught the door just before it could latch and slowly pushed it open.

Daniel backed up further into the apartment, pointing his gun directly at Kepler’s chest. “Stay back.”

Kepler’s brow furrowed and he calmly closed the door behind himself, then raised his hands—hand—placatingly. “Daniel...calm down.”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Daniel growled, switching off the safety on his gun. “I was hoping you were dead.”

“Now, now...that’s a little harsh.”

“How did you find me?” His hands began to shake, and he gripped the gun tighter to hide it.

“After all we’ve been through together, you still underestimated me?”

“Drop the fucking act, Kepler. I’m not in the mood. What do you want?”

“I wanted to see you.”

Daniel laughed. “Bullshit. How long until Goddard shows up and kills me?”

Kepler sighed and began to lower his arms. “They aren’t coming. It’s only me.”

“Hey, asshole. Hands up.”

Kepler rolled his eyes. “If you’ll notice, only one hand. I have no Goddard tech on me. And you’ll be pleased to know I’m no longer affiliated with them.”

“Oh thank god. Well, thanks for telling me! You wanna come in and have some coffee?”

Kepler smiled. “Actually, I would. If you’d just put that gun down and listen to me.”

“My ears work perfectly fine with this gun pointed at you, thanks.”

“Fair enough.” Kepler sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. Daniel took that opportunity to glance up at his security camera. Its light flashed red twice in response. Hera was watching. She’d probably alerted Minkowski and Lovelace already. “You know, I have mixed feelings about the name. Robert? Do people call you Bob?”

Daniel huffed.

“I mean really, Jacobi? Bob? I expected a little more creativity out of you.”

“Shut up.”

Kepler softened. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

Daniel raised his chin. “What are you here for then?”

“May I sit down? And honestly, I really would love a cup of coffee. I’m beat.”

“Does he have any weapons on him?”

“I came unarmed—“

“No, he’s unarmed,” Hera cut in. “I can’t detect any sort of electronics either.”

“Oh...it’s nice to hear your voice, Hera.” Kepler looked up and around at the security cameras.

“Can’t say the feeling is mutual, _Colonel_.”

Daniel gestured with his gun for Kepler to sit and he did, sinking down onto the sofa.

“I didn’t come on Goddard’s behalf. They’re done, Daniel. Pryce and Carter can barely keep themselves together; they can’t go chasing down every loose end.”

“Well, spite does seem to be their bread and butter, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they devoted their last assets to hunting and killing the beautiful bastards that brought them down.”

Kepler laughed. “I guess you’re right about that. But if they knew where you were, they’d send a death squad. Not me with just one hand.”

Daniel lowered the gun slightly. “So tell me why you’re here and why the hell I should trust you after everything you’ve done.”

“I did what I did to protect you. I helped you all leave the Hephaestus.”

Daniel scoffed. “Bullshit. You wouldn’t help anyone unless it helped you too. You got in good with Pryce and Carter.”

Kepler didn’t waver. His eyes held Daniel’s gaze. “Actually, I expected them to kill me once you escaped.”

There was a long silence while Daniel considered the slim probability of Kepler sacrificing himself for anyone else. Before Jacobi could tell Kepler again how full of shit he was, Kepler continued.

“I didn’t turn Eiffel over to Pryce when I realized his implant wasn’t working. I saved his ass. And then, miraculously, he managed to save yours. You think everything your little band of misfits accomplished from there on out was pure skill and luck? You’re wrong. I bought you time, I sabotaged their crew. And you got away.”

“And why would you do any of that?” Daniel’s voice was nearly a whisper.

“You were my team,” Warren said simply.

“No, you hated the others and they _certainly_ —“

“You.”

Daniel swallowed against the lump in his throat.

“Not to be rude, but I didn’t give a rat’s ass about the others. But they were your only chance of getting home with your brain and personality intact.”

“Why would you go to the trouble of saving me?” He lowered the gun to his side.

“Because you deserved it.”

“We both know that’s not true, Warren. We’ve done awful things.”

“Fine, maybe you didn’t deserve it. But look, you’re very much alive. And that’s because I didn’t want you dead. Maxwell died on my watch; I wasn’t going to let it happen to you too.”

Jacobi looked away. “Mission accomplished. You didn’t have to come here and ruin everything.”

“I’m not going to ruin anything.” Kepler stood up and Daniel reflexively took a step back. “I’ll leave if that’s what you want. I just wanted to see you before I go.”

“Go where?”

“Into hiding. Just like the rest of you. Pryce figured it all out. She knows I had a part in what happened.”

“God damn it, Kepler. If you pissed them off then they’re certainly on their way to kill you. Imagine how happy they’ll be to see me. Two for the price of one. You stupid asshole.”

Warren placed his good hand on his chest and wore an expression of mock hurt. “Always underestimating me. Daniel, I’m not stupid. I let them follow me for a week or two, then I ripped off that hand she gave me and sent it on a greyhound to New Mexico.”

“Wow, bet they’d never be able to see through that old trick.” Jacobi rolled his eyes.

“I wasn’t. Followed.” Kepler clenched his jaw.

Daniel glanced down at Kepler’s other wrist, which was wrapped in gauze. “Are you bleeding?”

“I did say I ripped the thing off, Mr. Jacobi.”

“They upgraded you to a more integrated prosthesis, didn’t they?”

“Yup. Opened up the wound to properly implant it. Generous, hm?”

Daniel sighed and tucked his gun into his waistband.

“Hey, Hera?”

“Yyyyes?”

“Is anyone about to come charging in to rescue me?”

“I uh...couldn’t get ahold of...Nadiya or Rachael. And Luke is still asleep. I may be able to hijack his speakers to—.”

“No. Don’t tell any of them yet. I have to deal with this first.”

“Uh, Jacobi, are you sure about that? I mean this is Warren Kepler here, I don’t think we should—“

“Well, if he kills me, tell them to go far, far away. All right?” Daniel sighed and walked down the hallway toward his bathroom.

Kepler hesitantly followed. “I...didn’t know the others were close by. Didn’t think you’d even want that. And to be honest, didn’t think Witness Protection would be stupid enough to group you like that.”

“Well, there’s a lot you don’t know. People change.” Daniel pulled a first aid kit out from underneath the sink and pointed to the toilet. “Sit.”

“You gonna bandage me up proper, Mr. Jacobi?” Kepler asked as he did as instructed.

“Yes. Because you clearly didn’t do it right the first time.”

Kepler just smirked and watched as Jacobi removed the old gauze and wrinkled his nose at the state of his wound.

Jacobi flushed it with saline and applied an antiseptic ointment before wrapping it in fresh gauze. “It’s not that difficult to just do it right. You wanna end up with an infection?”

“I was a little busy with other things, Daniel. And besides, I knew you’d take care of it if I found you. Works just fine for me since I like watching you work.”

Jacobi refused to meet his gaze. He packed up the first aid kit and stowed it. “I’m gonna pour myself a drink. You want one?”

“You gotta ask?” Kepler rose and followed him back to the kitchen.

Daniel opened a cabinet and pulled out two tumblers. “What are you in the mood for?”

“Booze,” Kepler answered.

Daniel glanced back to see Warren on the other side of the bar, leaning over it, watching him with a wry smile on his face.

“Preferably icy.”

He couldn’t help but laugh at that. “They’re going to kill me for not killing you, you know.”

“Then you’d better have a damn good reason for it.” Warren lifted the glass Daniel passed to him up to his nose. He sniffed and winced.

“I don’t spend ridiculous amounts of money on fancy liquor like you. Just drink it.”

Warren took a sip, focusing on the burn traveling down his throat, and the warmth that settled in his belly. “Care to share?”

Daniel raised a brow in confusion.

“Your reason for not killing me.”

“Ah.” He set down his glass. “I’m sure already know the answer to that.”

“I don’t any more. Not since you ordered Minkowski to shoot me.”

Suddenly Daniel felt like he had the upper hand here. “That was a real surprise, huh? Are you still bitter about that? Need I remind you of everything you’ve ever done to deserve it?”

“I would have deserved it. But I never expected it from you.”

“Why not?”

Warren’s jaw clenched and he looked down into his glass. “Because I didn’t have a contingency plan for you, Daniel.”

“What do you mean by that? Did you have a contingency plan for Maxwell?”

“Yes. In case she ever turned on me. But not you. You were the only person I trusted up until that moment. And then it was no one.”

“Cry me a river. I never felt that way about you. I trusted you as my commander, but I always had that little voice in the back of my head telling me to watch you closely. Telling me you’d sell me out in an instant to save your own self-important ass.”

“Your ‘little voice’ was wrong,” Kepler said, voice low and deliberate.

“Oh yeah? Minkowski told me you tried to get her to kill me instead.”

“...she never would have done it.”

“So why? What was the point, Warren?”

Kepler sighed and pushed the glass away. “I was angry. I wanted to feel like I still had some sort of control. Like everything hadn’t just fallen apart.”

Jacobi just nodded, tapping his fingers on the kitchen counter. “I see.”

Kepler looked up at him. “You used to love me, Daniel.”

Jacobi’s fingers stilled. He blinked at Kepler. “Why do you think that?”

“Don’t try to pretend I’m wrong.”

He was quiet for a long time. It was true and he knew he couldn’t convincingly deny it. Finally, he downed the rest of his cheap alcohol and set his glass in the sink. “It’s funny how fast those feelings fade when you realize you love a selfish monster who could never reciprocate.”

Kepler looked stunned for a moment. “I did—“

“No. You loved me like you loved your favorite gun. You loved my blind obedience. I was never more than a weapon to you.” Daniel left the kitchen, walking past Kepler to the front door.

“You’re _wrong_ ,” Warren insisted, pushing away from the bar and following Jacobi.

Daniel ignored the way his stomach twisted and how a part of him wanted to believe what Kepler was trying to tell him. “It’s time for you to go. Thanks to you, I have a lot of packing to do.”

Warren approached him, and as Daniel began to open the door, Warren pushed it closed.

Daniel’s hand went to his gun.

Warren wrapped his hand around the back of Daniel’s neck and kissed him.

Jacobi considered shooting him in the foot but instead his grip on the gun relaxed slightly.

This would not distract him though; he had no intention of letting Kepler have whatever he set out to gain by coming here. But Daniel saw no harm in having a taste of what he’d wanted from Warren for such a long time. So there was nothing gentle about the way Daniel returned the kiss, his free hand moving to grab Warren’s hair roughly. He felt that familiar ache in his chest as the memory of years of unrequited feelings came rushing back. He’d wanted Warren so badly, to be held by him like this, an arm firm around his waist. He’d done everything that had been asked of him. He had killed for him. He’d been so good and it was never enough.

Warren hissed and pulled back when Daniel bit his lip a little too hard. As he caught his breath, he trailed his thumb over Daniel’s jaw, his mouth. “I was an idiot.”

Daniel opened his eyes and looked up at him. He wanted to stay angry but the feeling was quickly being replaced by sadness and regret.

“I took you for granted. I used you. You were the only one I cared about but I treated you like one of them instead. I know I ruined everything between us.”

Jacobi planted his hands on Kepler’s chest and pushed him away. “Did you think that kissing me and saying those things would make me fall back in line? I’m not as easy to convince as I used to be.”

The muscle in Warren’s jaw twitched. “I understand why you’d doubt my sincerity. I was a selfish, cruel, manipulative bastard. But this time I mean every word.”

“There was never anything between us,” Jacobi murmured.

“But there could have been. You wanted it.”

Daniel took a deep breath and stepped back. He folded his arms over his chest and nodded. “So what was the point of that? Did you think I’d ask you to stay?”

Warren laughed. “I came here to see you alive and know that everything I did paid off in the end...but, yeah. I want you to want me to stay. But I know better, Daniel; I know that’s not going to happen.”

“Hm,” Daniel shrugged. “Oh well.”

A silence stretched between them.

Then Warren cleared his throat. “I’m going to leave now. You don’t have to leave your new life behind; you’re safe here. I’ll die before I let Pryce take any information from me.”

Jacobi looked away. “How noble of you.”

“Thanks for the help and the icy booze...and for not shooting me.” Kepler smiled and placed his hand on the doorknob. “Have a nice life, Mr. Maxwell.”

Daniel watched him leave and stared at the doorknob for a long moment after he was gone. Then he sighed and dropped his gun on the table. He yanked open a drawer and grabbed a small, outdated flip phone from a pile of identical ones. He pulled the door open and jogged down the hall, just barely catching the doors to the elevator before they closed.

Warren looked up and raised a brow. “Last minute change of heart?”

Though Daniel felt the hint of an urge to drag Warren back to his apartment, he shook his head. “Not uh...not exactly.”

He handed the phone to Kepler, who looked it over with mild confusion.

“ _If_ I ever change my mind, I’ll call you on that. But if you show up uninvited, I won’t stop Renee or Isabel from killing you. I may even do it myself. Are we clear?”

Kepler smiled, but not the way he usually did, when he knew he had control, when he’d gotten exactly what he wanted. “We are. Goodbye, Daniel.”

“Good luck.” Daniel let go of the doors and held Warren’s gaze as they slid closed.

As he returned to his apartment, Daniel felt strong. One side of him hated Warren so strongly that killing him might have made him feel even stronger. But the other side still wanted to love him. This was an acceptable compromise, since a dead man in his apartment would have been the fastest way to throw away this second life he’d been given.

Daniel didn’t know if he’d ever call Warren. Maybe the idea would be repulsive to him once the surge of nostalgia and desire faded. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about Warren once he knew he was really gone. Only time would tell.

“So, uhhh...everyone’s on their way over,” Hera said.

Jacobi groaned and flopped back onto his sofa. “Can you do me a favor and order everyone’s favorite takeout?”

“Fine. I didn’t tell them what the emergency was, so you get to tell them exactly why they’ve been summoned. And don’t lie or I’ll rat you out.”

“Yes, dear.”

“And unless you plan to keep drinking cheap alcohol, your coffee is ready.”

“Thanks, Hera, I’m going to need it. I can already feel a headache coming on from the lecture I’m about to get.”


	2. Returning the Favor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay I just wanna say that everyone who’s left kudos and all of the extremely sweet comments on my fics the last few weeks have made me so happy. I’ve written so much more in the last few weeks than I have for years and it feels so good. I love how kind and supportive this fandom is. Seriously y’all are the best

It was such a nice morning. The rain had stopped shortly after Daniel woke up, and it was his day off from work. He could be out doing anything. But here he was, sitting on his couch while his only three friends in life stood in front of him, taking turns scolding.

Isabel and Renee looked like mirror images of each other in running clothes, hair pulled back,  frowning down at him with arms crossed.

Doug looked a bit less severe. He’d been woken up by Hera yelling at him and had pulled on whatever clothes he found first by the likes of it. His hair was pulled back too, but the bun on top of his head looked sloppy and loose. He still didn’t look completely awake, but he was frowning nonetheless. Fortunately, his frown looked more nervous than angry.

“I can’t believe you’d let him put us at risk like this, Daniel!” Renee said.

Daniel sighed. “Look, I didn’t exactly invite him in. And once he was in…”

“You should’ve killed him,” Isabel said simply.

“Shouldn’t we be packing everything we own right now?” Doug asked, raising a hand tentatively.

“No. We’ll be fine here. Kepler ripped off his top of the line prosthetic hand to get away from whoever is left of Goddard.”

“Daniel, I know you two worked closely. I know you want to trust him, but we can’t. We can’t take risks any more,” Renee sighed, finally relaxing slightly and sinking down onto the couch next to Daniel.

“Oh, it’s more than that…” Hera finally chimed in.

“Hera.” Daniel grit his teeth. 

“What? What does that mean?” Isabel asked. 

“Daniel’s totally in love with him. Kepler kissed him before he left.”

“What?!” The three of them yelled simultaneously, eyes widening.

“I am not in love with Kepler! And yes, we did kiss, but that was not—I’m not in _love_ with him! You all know how much I hated him.”

Isabel ran a hand over her face. “Oh, my god, so you didn’t kill him because, what, you’ve got old feelings for him? Come on, Daniel.” 

“Yikes, bro,” Doug scratched the back of his neck. 

“Daniel,” Renee sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder. “What if he was just using your feelings against—“ 

“ _Listen_ ,” Daniel stood up. “I am not in love with Kepler. I was this close to shooting him until he said something that made me think. Doug, he helped you, didn’t he? He found you no longer zombified and let you go so Pryce wouldn’t find out.”

All eyes turned to Doug. “Uhhh…yes?” 

“And you didn’t tell any of us this?” Renee asked.

“I uh…kinda forgot to because if you’ll remember we were trying to escape the spawn of Satan and Cyborgella Deville!”

“Whatever. My point is that Kepler helped us. He helped Doug, and he helped sabotage their crew so they wouldn’t make it to earth quick enough to kill us.”

There was a knock at the door, and both Isabel and Renee pulled their sidearms.

“Relax,” Daniel rolled his eyes and walked toward the door. “It’s just the food.” 

They ate in silence, only half-enjoying their favorite meals that Hera knew to order.

“So…what do we do?” Renee finally asked. “Do we pack up and leave?”

“No. We’re not leaving everything behind. Please, I just need you to trust me on this.”

“Daniel, you’re really asking us to trust Kepler,” Isabel sighed.

“I’m asking you to trust that I have the situation under control. And to trust that I know when Kepler is lying to me.”

They were quiet for a while. Then, Doug spoke. “I trust you. If you say we’re safe, then I believe you.”

Finally, grudgingly, the other three agreed.

They finished their meal, and by unspoken agreement, spent the rest of the day together. It was comforting. Daniel hadn’t even even realized that he needed it. Seeing Warren in his own home after all of this time had been jarring; he hadn’t had time to process it. Having the others around made everything feel normal again. Their comfortable, safe, and hard-won version of normal.

 

Daniel woke up into the evening with a sore neck. He had fallen asleep leaning against Doug, and now the credits of the movie were rolling. The others had dozed off too, a couple of them snoring.

Daniel groaned and stood up. He thought about waking the others, but the relative silence was nice. 

He shuffled over to the drawer by the front door and quietly pulled it open. He’d given Kepler burner phone #2. Daniel took out his phone and looked through the contacts.

Daniel clicked on the contact simply named ‘2’ and stared at it for a while. He scrolled to the bottom of the page and his thumb hovered over the “delete contact” button. He wanted to do it just to prove that he was strong enough. He could.

He pressed the button and immediately felt sick to his stomach with regret.

The phone’s reaction was delayed, and then: “Are you sure you want to delete this contact?”

Daniel exhaled and quickly pressed “No”. He scrolled back up and changed the name from “2” to “Warren.”

He huffed and shoved the phone back in his pocket.

 

“It’s been a week,” Hera’s voice came out of the blue, almost startling Daniel.

Daniel flopped down onto his couch and turned on the TV. “What are you talking about?”

“You…haven’t called Kepler. Does that mean you’ve officially decided not to?”

Daniel sighed and clicked through titles on Netflix. “You’re hoping I’ll say yes to that.”

“Of course I am. Why are you still considering it? Hopefully he’s long gone by now.”

“Hera, I don’t need you to hassle me about this.”

“Then who will?”

Daniel was quiet for a minute. Then finally, he turned off the TV and closed his eyes. “Just…try to see it from my point of view.”

“I’ve tried, Jacobi, but I really don’t get it. I mean, you hated him just as much as the rest of us did.”

“Yeah. But…” he sighed and leaned his head back against the arm rest. “If Alana came back to us…by some cosmic miracle...you wouldn’t just let her walk out of your life forever.”

“It’s not the same situation,” she insisted.

“Yeah, well, close enough. You hated her for meddling with your head, but before that, you loved her. I don’t completely understand what goes on in your head, but she did. She understood everything and she made you feel like you weren’t alone any more...am I right?”

Hera took a moment to formulate a response. “So…Kepler is like your Maxwell?”

Daniel laughed. “Only in an analogy to your situation. But Maxwell was my Maxwell. We understood each other, took care of each other. Trust me, if I could trade Warren for Alana, I would, but as it stands, he’s the only one left.

“You’re not alone, Daniel.”

He draped an arm over his eyes. “Look, I’m amazed you all want me around. Really, I…I guess one might say I ‘love’ you, but none of you are like me. None of you have done the things I’ve done. Kepler…he understands what goes on in my head.”

“So what are you going to do?”

Daniel’s fingers traced over the phone in his pocket. “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll just…call him. That couldn’t hurt, right? I can use a payphone so he doesn’t have my number.” 

“Just a phone call? That’s it?”

“Yeah…” Daniel sat up. “Just a call. That would be the responsible thing to do... Oh, and Hera?”

”Yes?”

”...don’t tell anyone else I said that.”

He could hear the tone of a smirk in her voice. “Which part? Oh you mean the part when you said you _loooove_ us?”

"Sometimes you're as much of a pain in my ass as Alana was."

 

Finally, after driving for forty minutes, Daniel was standing inside of the last payphone within twenty miles of his apartment. His fingers shook as he held up his phone and dialed the number to the burner phone he’d given to Kepler.

Daniel pressed the receiver to his ear and leaned his forehead against the phone box. He tucked his free hand under his other arm to stop the shaking and told himself it was just the cold and rain.

The only sounds in the booth came from water dripping to the floor from Daniel’s coat, and the ringing in the phone’s receiver.

“Mr. Maxwell.”

Daniel released the breath he had been holding. “Are you alone?”

“I am…I thought you’d never call.”

Daniel closed his eyes and rubbed a temple. “It’s only been a week. I just…I thought I’d check in. Talk.”

“You just wanted to talk?”

“I…yeah.”

“Not in person?”

“No,” Daniel huffed. “Like this. Because this is safe. This is easy and doesn’t make anyone angry.”

Silence for a moment. “…all right. Okay then. Let’s talk, Daniel. What would you like to talk to me about?”

“I don’t actually know.”

“What made you pick up the phone and call me?”

“I just…I wanted to see if you were dead yet. So I could know if Goddard was coming for us next.”

“Wouldn’t lead them to you. Now answer the question without lying this time.”

“I didn’t want you to be dead,” Daniel admitted, gripping the phone tightly. Perfect. Now Kepler would gloat.

“Well, that’s…a start. I’m glad you said that. Is this your phone number?”

“No. You know I’m smarter than that.”

“Good…Daniel, I want to see you.”

Daniel laughed and leaned back, pressing his cheek to the cool plexiglass. “You saw me a week ago. That wasn’t enough to tide you over?”

“Until _when_?”

The tone of his voice made Daniel’s throat go dry. He adjusted his grip on the phone. “I don’t know. I haven’t decided if I ever want to see you again.”

“I hate phone conversations.”

“Well too bad. If there’s going to be any contact between us, it’s going to happen my way. You’re just going to have to wait for my call.”

Kepler huffed and the audio crackled. “All right. I’ll be waiting.”

Daniel hung up. He felt good. He had the upper hand here with Kepler cooperating. He pulled out his phone and checked his map.

There he was. Kepler’s phone was at a motel in a small town an hour or two drive away.

Daniel sat in his car, lights off, windshield wiper going. He’d spotted Kepler about two hours ago walking back to his room with a bucket of ice. He’d been watching the room since then, waiting to see if anyone was going to join him.

He set down his binoculars and sighed. He really hated stakeouts.

Daniel turned off the car and pulled on his rain coat.

He knocked on the door of room number 17 and folded his arms. He glanced around.

This was taking too long. He hated being outside in the rain. Daniel looked up at the peephole in the door and forced a smile.

The door opened in on a pleasantly surprised Kepler. “Daniel…this is unexpected.”

“Yeah, I’d hope so. That was the point.”

Kepler nodded and stepped aside. “You coming in?”

Daniel walked past him, already shirking his coat. The trash can was almost empty, there was a bottle of whiskey on the table next to the bucket of melting ice, and the sink counter was cluttered with medical supplies. Daniel opened the mini fridge. Empty except for a can of coke and a Baby Ruth.

“Doing a real thorough job there, hm?” Warren asked, standing by the closed door, watching Daniel.

Daniel shrugged. “Just want the whole picture.”

“Right…”

“Where are your weapons?”

Kepler raised a brow, but nonetheless pointed toward the nightstand. “Drawer.”

He pulled open the drawer. Only two hand guns. “Packing light, I see.”

Daniel moved to the bathroom. There were clothes hung up in the shower to dry.

When he returned to the main room, he found Kepler sitting on his bed, hand in his lap. “May I ask to what I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

“Wanted to make sure you weren’t in cahoots with Goddard.”

“And are you satisfied with what you found?”

“I guess so…You must be hungry. You haven’t left in hours and there’s no food in here.”

Warren smirked. “You got bored on your stakeout, didn’t you?”

Daniel grabbed his jacket. “And hungry. Let’s go; I passed a diner on the way here.”

In the car, Kepler looked around, running his fingers over the buttons on the stereo, looking in the glove compartment. “This is, uh…nice.”

“It’s what I could afford, okay? I’m not getting anything like Goddard’s paychecks any more.”

“From what I’ve seen it still looks like you made a pretty decent life for yourself.”

“Yeah, actually, I have. Wish I could have done that a long time ago.”

“Oh, come on…you could have. After your incident, you could have moved on to another town, got a little job that paid the bills, and lived just like every other civilian. But you didn’t want that. You wanted something more exciting, and it found you.”

“I wouldn’t call espionage and murder exciting—well, I mean…I would. But not in a good way.”

Kepler sighed. “You could’ve stepped down from SI-5 and went back to R&D.”

Daniel laughed and glanced over at Kepler. “Is that a joke? I could have just walked away from our super secret murder squad? Give me a break. You never would have let me.”

“Cutter wouldn’t have let you leave Goddard after that, but yes, I would have let you leave SI-5.”

“I couldn’t.”

“And why not?”

“Because…I would have been leaving Maxwell behind.”

Kepler scoffed. “She would have followed you. There’s no way she would’ve stayed with you gone.”

“And you would have just replaced me? Just like that. ‘See ya, Jacobi! Go back to the workshop and make me cool new bombs and I’ll find someone else to blow shit up in the field.’”

“That’s what you got from this? That it would have been easy for me to replace you?”

“You can’t sit there and tell me you didn’t have a replacement lined up for every one of us at any given time. I was there on the stakeouts when you were stalking people who might fit the positions.”

Kepler waited as Daniel pulled into the diner’s parking lot and turned off the car. “I did. Because what we did was dangerous. You don’t think Cutter had a replacement lined up for me just in case? We had to be prepared.”

“Yeah.”

“That doesn’t mean it would have been easy. If you’ll remember, I picked you. You weren’t a backup or a second choice. I wanted _you_. And Maxwell. And Park.”

“And Walter.”

“Walter was a mistake.”

Daniel put his hood up and stepped out of the car. Warren followed suit. “You ever think about what he said before Alana killed him? About us being monsters?”

“I don’t. Why?”

“Because he was right.”

“Morality is subjective.”

Daniel rolled his eyes and left the car behind.

They were seated away from the only other guests, in a secluded enough spot for Daniel’s tastes. They both ordered coffee.

“So…” Warren poured creamer into his coffee. “Is this a date?”

“No,” Daniel replied, looking out the window and bringing his cup to his lips.

“Just a dinner between friends in the middle of the night?”

Daniel set down his cup and looked at Warren. “I wouldn’t even call it that. I just felt bad for you.”

He chuckled. “All right.

“What are you hoping will happen?”

“You came to _me_ , Daniel. I could ask you the same question.”

Their conversation was put on hold as their waitress returned for their orders. When she left, Daniel refused to look at Warren. He was staring.

“Well?”

Daniel’s fingers drummed on the table. “I don’t know.”

“You have control here. I stayed away like you said. I waited for a call like you said. So what’s the plan? What have you all decided for me?”

Daniel’s brow furrowed and he looked up at Warren.

“They…know you’re here, right?”

Daniel blinked.

“Oh, darling…you really think that’s a good idea? Running off to see me without telling your friends who want me dead?”

“What am I supposed to tell them, huh? ‘Hey, you know what, I don’t want Kepler dead. In fact, I’m gonna go see him. But he’s over an hour away so I’ll be vulnerable and out of your reach if I need help. Bye!’”

“Hera must know.”

Daniel nodded.

“And she’s keeping your secret?”

“For now,” Daniel sighed. “And don’t ask me why. I don’t know.”

“Fine.”

He didn’t feel like talking any more, so Daniel took the crayon he found left on the seat and began doodling a helicopter on his napkin. He knew Warren was watching, but it was better to have him watching and quiet than asking questions Daniel didn’t want to answer.

Their food came, and they ate in relative silence until Daniel offered the rest of his pancakes to Warren. Warren loved pancakes.

Once the check arrived, Warren gave him a look.

“Yeah, don’t worry, sweetheart. It was obvious you have no money. Wouldn’t have brought you here if I hadn’t planned on paying for your meal.”

“I…would have had cash if you’d given me a heads up before you came.”

Daniel folded his arms and leaned back in the booth. “Oh? And how would you have attained that cash?”

Warren smirked. “Does it matter?”

“I’m trying this new thing where I generally abide by the law.”

“Yes, well, I don't have the luxury of job hunting when I'm a fugitive from the law. You got lucky and the feds offered you a deal. So stop with the holier than thou nonsense.”

Daniel huffed and dropped a few bills on the table. In truth, he would have been in a situation very similar to Warren's now if the others hadn't come to Earth with him, if they hadn't made him stay. And sometimes, Daniel thought he might prefer living off the grid, drifting and doing what he had to to make sure he didn't have to answer to anyone. Not the government, an evil organization, or a Radio Shack manager. He just enjoyed feeling like he was doing better than Warren. "You ready? Let’s go.”

Daniel let Warren drive them back to the hotel. He didn’t like driving much, so he didn’t mind handing over the wheel. But he didn’t particularly like the feeling that crept into his stomach when he looked at Warren in the driver’s seat. It was dark and rainy just like it had been on the night of their most memorable stakeout. A night when he’d felt unimportant and unappreciated until Warren presented him with a duffel bag full of illegal fireworks for his recruitment anniversary.

That night had been confusing. He’d almost been moved to tears watching the fireworks until he remembered Warren was standing right next to him. He’d gone from being angry and hurt to feeling his crush on his commanding officer return in full force. It had been so stupid.

“You don’t have to drive like a grandma, Kepler.”

“Hey…” Daniel saw the beginnings of a smirk forming on Warren’s face. “No complaints.”

Daniel wanted to punch him. He wasn’t supposed to be thinking about the same night that Daniel was reminiscing on. It was _his_ happy memory among the several years of awful he had been subjected to. He turned away to face the window.

“I only have one hand, remember? And after everything we’ve survived, I’d like to avoid dying in a car crash.”

When they arrived back at the motel, Daniel planned to get into the driver’s seat and go straight home, but he found himself closing the passenger door and following Warren to the room.

Warren said nothing about it. He just held the door for him and then took his coat to hang it up in the closet.

Daniel eyed the bottle of whiskey, tempted. He didn’t touch it though, and instead watched Warren as he moved to turn on the heater.

The chairs looked old and uncomfortable. The bed looked too firm and cold. So Daniel just stood, unsure of what to do or why he was still here.

Warren disappeared into the bathroom and returned wearing something resembling sleeping clothes. He sat on the bed in front of Daniel. “So what happens now? You just gonna stand there all night?”

“Stop.”

“All right…” Warren looked disappointed, like he had just expected something to happen. He stood up and opened the dresser’s top drawer. “I have something for you. I should’ve given it to you last time but I was a little distracted.”

Daniel raised a brow and looked down into the drawer.

Warren shoved aside a stack of papers and pulled out a manila folder. It had no height to it; it almost looked empty.

“Swiped this from Goddard.” Warren handed the folder to Daniel and he flipped it open.

Daniel’s heart clenched and he quickly closed the folder. Tears quickly sprang up in his eyes and he walked away from Warren toward the sink. He set down the folder and rubbed the tears out of his eyes.

“I’m sorry…didn’t think it would upset you. I thought you’d be happy.”

“Just caught me off guard.” Daniel’s voice cracked and he cleared his throat. “I just…I don’t have any pictures of her. Kind of accepted that I never would.”

“I thought that might be the case.”

Daniel opened the folder and touched the photo of Alana. It was her personnel photo taken the day Goddard officially recruited her. Daniel had been serious in his picture, just like he’d been for his school photos and IDs. But Alana was grinning, like she had some inside joke the photographer hadn’t been in on.

He would have to take it to get it framed.

“I miss her,” Warren admitted.

Daniel slowly closed the folder then looked back at Warren. “Don’t. I don’t want you to talk about her.”

“Why not? Are you the only one who had a claim on her? You the only one who gets to mourn her?”

Daniel crossed the room and set the folder down on the corner table. He grabbed a plastic cup provided by the motel and poured a generous amount of whiskey. “You had your chance, Warren. When she was killed. When we held a funeral. You could have shown _some_ sort of human emotion at any point and yet you waited until now.”

“I respected and cared for her just like—“

Daniel scoffed and brought the cup to his lips, tilting it back and quickly emptying it.

“Hey. Are you crazy?” Warren snatched the cup away and Daniel coughed against the burn.

“What’s the problem? Are you the only one with a _claim_ on this whiskey?” Daniel rolled his eyes and grabbed the bottle. It was already too late to drive himself home; he might as well help himself to the booze.

“You are being…an asshole.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve earned the right,” Daniel muttered, taking a sip straight from the bottle.

“So I suppose this means you’ll be staying the night.”

“I can sleep in my car.”

“No,” Warren replied, rubbing a hand down his face. “Don’t be stupid. We’ve shared a bed before.”

Daniel flopped into an uncomfortable chair and took another pull from the bottle. “Mm, whatever. You _could_ be a gentleman and offer to sleep in my car instead.”

“ _My_ room,” Warren reminded him. “You have to be to work in the morning?”

“Nope. My day off.”

Warren stood up and snatched the bottle from Daniel’s grip. “You’ve had enough.”

Daniel tried to sit up and reach for it, but Warren placed a hand on his chest and pushed him back down. Daniel huffed and looked away.

Warren sighed and stashed the bottle in the fridge. “You might as well get into bed now. I’m not going to carry you when you pass out.”

Daniel didn’t protest. He stood and began unbuttoning his work shirt. Before he could sway too far and fall, he grabbed the table and shut his eyes against the way the room began to tilt.

“You all right?” Warren asked, settling onto the bed.

Daniel nodded. “That’s…strong stuff.”

He was grateful when Warren didn’t come to his rescue. Didn’t rush to hold him up, or finish unbuttoning his shirt for him. He could do this himself, even if he was rapidly feeling the effects of the whiskey.

He managed to get the button up off, and tossed it onto the chair before kicking off his pants. He wasn’t shy around Warren any more; SI-5 work had put them in much more compromising positions.

The bed creaked when Daniel finally lied down and he wondered if the shitty motel bed frame would hold two grown men. But then he stopped caring when his head hit the pillow. The mattress was not comfortable, but being horizontal helped Daniel get a better handle on stopping the spinning.

Warren reached over and turned off his bedside lamp, plunging the room into darkness.

Daniel’s eyes slowly adjusted to the pale glow of the moon shining through the edges of the curtains. He listened to Warren’s breathing.

He glanced over to see that Warren’s back was to him. He wanted to say something before they fell asleep, to thank him for the photograph. But he soon forgot what he was going to say to the alcohol and slipped into unconsciousness.

 

Daniel sat up quickly and placed a hand over his mouth. God why was he so weak? He used to hold his liquor better than everyone but Warren and now he felt nauseous after a handful of shots worth of whiskey. Granted, drinking was no longer a regular habit of his in the recent months. Renee had him experiencing new wines over their family dinners every week. But that was only a glass or two. He had liquor at home, but he saved it for special occasions when he just couldn’t get to sleep on his own.

Daniel slipped out of the bed and hurried to the sink. He wet his face and neck and gripped the sink, breathing deeply and slowly to fight the urge to vomit. He wasn’t going to do this. He was going to be fine.

There was a rustling noise from the bed, and Daniel was sure Warren would’ve woken. But when he looked, Warren had just rolled and shifted over closer toward the center of the bed, still asleep.

Daniel sighed and slowly drank a cup of water while his shaky hands began to return to normal. He felt so stupid. He should’ve gone home. In fact, he shouldn’t have come for Warren so soon. It had been a stupid, impulsive, and sentimental decision that he now regretted.

He sat back down on the bed and stared toward the closed folder lying on the table. It had been stupid of him to be caught so off guard by a simple picture. Whatever progress he’d thought he’d made in dealing with Alana’s death was exaggerated.

Daniel brushed away a couple of tears. He now considered her killer his family. It was so fucked up. Would she hate him for that if she knew?

He took a deep breath and shifted his gaze to Warren. What was the point of this? Warren wasn’t going to be rehabilitated and move in with him. He wasn’t going to be able to assimilate himself into their family. He would move on, keep outrunning Goddard. Maybe Daniel would call him once in a while. But what would it matter?

Warren turned back to the wall again and Daniel’s heart sank.

Daniel slid under the covers and turned to face Warren. He wished he’d turn around and hold him, just to make all of this trouble worth it. But he didn’t, so Daniel hesitantly wrapped an arm around Warren’s waist and pulled himself closer. He molded his legs to fit the curve of Warren’s, and he pressed his forehead between his shoulders.

Finally Warren stirred. His head turned, trying to catch a glimpse of Daniel over his shoulder. “Daniel?” He rasped. “You need something?”

“Go to sleep,” Daniel commanded.

“Fine,” Warren agreed and relaxed, settling back into his position.

Warren let Daniel slide his leg into place between his like this was a practiced move for them.

Neither of them said anything else, but Daniel could tell from his breathing that Warren remained awake for quite some time.


	3. Back to Reality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm supposed to be working but I was hit with inspiration for where to take this story while I was driving to work, and.......I just really wanted to post this. Sorry for typos and dumb mistakes lol

The constant vibrating coming from the table was what finally woke Daniel up. He sat up, disgruntled and disoriented, and swung his legs over the bed. The laminate was cold on his feet, and Daniel realized he wasn’t at home. He wasn’t on the Urania, or the Sol, or back at Goddard either, which was fortunate.

The door swung open and Daniel panicked for a moment, reaching a hand back under his pillow where he used to stash his gun on missions. There was nothing. 

Warren’s broad shoulders blocked the sunlight streaming through the doors, and finally Daniel recognized him.

He sighed and slumped forward to bury his face in his hands. “Close it, please,” he croaked.

He heard Warren chuckle; he was always doing that. Daniel really hated it.

With the door closed, and the relative darkness returned, Daniel could start to think. He remembered that he was in Warren’s shitty motel room. That he’d been a dick and drank Warren’s whiskey. 

And his phone was still ringing.

“Hope you don’t mind I used your car to get us some breakfast.” Warren said, dropping a bag containing something that smelled delicious on the table. “You gonna answer that?”

“You what?—ugh, yeah, just…” Daniel reached out and snatched his phone off of the table as it finally stopped vibrating. 

His stomach twisted when he scrolled through the notifications. 

[10:40] MISSED CALL FROM AMAZON ALEXA

[10:41] MISSED CALL FROM AMAZON ALEXA

[10:46] MISSED CALL FROM ISABEL

[10:58] Amazon Alexa: Daniel Kenneth Jacobi you’d better pick up your phone. You have two minutes until I give Lovelace your coordinates and she comes down there herself. 

[11:00] Isabel: Jacobi I swear I’m going to come and drag you back home if you don’t answer

[11:12] Amazon Alexa: OKAY you get two more minutes. You’d better not be dead. Please don’t be dead. 

[11:13] Amazon Alexa: Are you mad I told Lovelace you went to see Kepler? I’m sorry, okay? I was just worried. You’re not allowed to be mad at me for being worried so PLEASE pick up you stupid jerk. 

P.S. this is your last chance to change my name in your phone before I retaliate. 

[11:15] MISSED CALL FROM ISABEL

“Shit, shit, shit…it’s so late. Why did you let me sleep in for so long?” Daniel groaned, fumbling to return the call. 

“I…went to get food.”

Daniel stood up and pushed past Warren and ran to the bathroom. He closed the door and dialed Isabel. 

“Hey! I’m not dead. Do  _not_  come here, I’m leaving in just a sec.”

Isabel was quiet for a while and Daniel knew he was in trouble. Finally, her response was “…hm.”

“What? ‘Hm?’ That’s all you want to say?”

“What were you thinking running off without at least giving us a heads up?”

Daniel sighed and rubbed his eyes. “It’s not that big of a deal…and uh, would you believe me if I said I wasn’t with Kepler?”

“Probably not. But go ahead and give me your pitch.”

“I…went…to this new trendy bar a few towns over and uh. Well, you know me, Captain. I danced a little, flirted a little, and…someone took me home. Just a good old fashioned one night stand and absolutely nothing to be worried about.”

Isabel laughed. “You are so full of shit.”

“Oh yeah? How do you know?”

“Because, pumpkin, you use this voice when you lie and it’s actually pretty adorable. You sound...charming, confident.”

“I…I don’t do that.” Daniel frowned.

“I’m starting to think you might have picked it up from your boyfriend. Anyway, I know you’re with Kepler. And  _you_  know that’s a bad move.”

“Yeah, yeah…I know. I didn’t even plan to sleep here I just…had a bit to drink so I didn’t want to drive. Everything is fine. I’ll be home soon.”

“Good…good.” Isabel sighed. “Well, I’m glad you’re fine. And so you know, I haven’t told Renee.”

Daniel exhaled. “Thank god. I mean…thank you.”

“I know, I know…it’s all right, Daniel. I know you want to tell me you love me and all but you don’t have to get sappy on me.”

“I’m going to unplug her.”

“Hey!” Hera’s voice patched into the line. 

“That was told to you in  _confidence_. See if I tell you anything ever again.”

“Hmph. You don’t have to be so weird about your feelings, you know,” she insisted.

Daniel rolled his eyes and stood up. “I’ll be home in a couple hours. I uh…gotta eat first. Warren picked up some breakfast.”

“Oh, did he?” Isabel asked. 

“Don’t use that tone of voice.”

“Don’t take too long, Jacobi. We can only stall for you for so long,” Hera reminded him.

“Just use the story I gave you. It’s not that unbelievable.”

“Riiiight, because Renee would totally buy the idea of you going out of town for a trendy bar when there are plenty of shitty dive bars here. Come on, we know you better than that.”

“Fine…come up with something else.”

When Daniel walked out into the room, Warren pulled their burritos out of a flimsy plastic bag. 

“Oh my god.”

Warren grinned. “On our last…pre-Hephaestus mission you complained about how you haven’t found good Mexican food since our trip to San Diego. Well…found a place that looked pretty promising.”

“You…I could kiss you. I might, actually.”

Warren raised a brow.

“Depends on how authentic this is. Did you get me salsa?”

“Of course. You really think I’d miss a detail like that?”

Daniel smiled and sat down across from Kepler. “Sometimes you’re not so bad.” 

Food did wonders for settling Daniel’s stomach and making his headache fade into the background. 

“So…the gang called? You in trouble?”

“No…well, only a little. But it’s fine.”

“Mm. So what’s your plan for today?” 

Daniel looked around to take stock and locate the rest of his clothes. “I’m leaving. Told Isabel I’d eat and then come straight home.”

“That’s cute.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m not being sarcastic. It’s cute that you call her that. You all best friends now?”

Daniel wasn’t quite sure what his point was. He couldn’t tell if he was jealous or amused or annoyed. “They’re…the only people I give a shit about. So, sure, you can say they’re my best friends.”

“They’re funny…took to you so quickly. I was surprised but grateful, I guess. The alternative could’ve had them throwing you under the bus during negotiations with the feds.”

“Yeah…trust me, I know. They’re good people. Too good it pisses me off sometimes. I mean, they should’ve put their collective foot down and told me not to see you under any circumstances. They should have insisted we leave everything behind but they just…trusted my judgment.”

“You’re complaining about that?”

Daniel sighed and grabbed his shirt off the back of his chair. “Well, this whole affair could still end up getting us killed. But, no, I’m not complaining.”

“Hm…so. I’m curious.”

Daniel paused while pulling on his pants and narrowed his eyes. “About?”

“Any developments? I kinda miss the gossip at Goddard. Always some kind of drama or romance unfolding that everyone knew about but pretended not to.”

“No. I’m not gossiping about my people with you.”

“Oh, come onnnn…what could it hurt? Minkowski and….Lovelace? Please say I’m right about that one; it just seemed so obvious to me.”

Daniel pursed his lips and pulled on his shoes, avoiding looking at Warren lest he accidentally reveal something. 

“I’m right, aren’t I? I always thought ehhh maybe Eiffel would be in the running for the good commander’s affections, but…hm. I mean, her husband thinks she’s dead so—“

“Stop.”

Warren half rolled his eyes. “I’m not trying to be an asshole.”

“Yeah, no, it just comes naturally for you. I’m well aware.”

“All right, I’m sorry. Their love lives are off-limits.” Warren conceded and stood up to clear the table. “But what about yours? You and Eiffel ever…”

Daniel stared at him for a few good seconds and then laughed. “I’m not answering that. And you know why? Because I love this. This is so good.”

“What is.” Warren deadpanned, unamused. 

“You’re jealous. Or just gauging wether or not you should be…Either way, this is extremely satisfying.”

“I’m not jealous. I assume you wouldn’t have come here and found an excuse to stay the night if you currently had something going on with Eiffel.”

“Unless it’s casual.” 

“Yeah…I was wrong to ask. Eiffel ain’t your type.”

Daniel lifted his chin. “What’s my type?”

“Well…” Warren trailed off, looking all too pleased with himself.

“You?”

Warren smirked and shrugged a shoulder.

“Uh huh...I’m going now.” Daniel announced unceremoniously and picked up his keys and the folder containing Alana’s photo.

“Right…Daniel. I’m leaving tonight.”

Daniel blinked, recovered quickly. He knew he was going to leave sooner or later, so why did it make his chest hurt? “Mhm…”

“You know, not wise to hang around in one place too long.”

“Yep…well, good luck!” Daniel forced a smile and walked toward the door.

Warren moved to block his path. “Slow down. Listen, I still have your phone. You can call me.”

“About what?”

“I don’t know. But…leaving doesn’t mean I can’t come back. Once I get my hands on a decent, inconspicuous ride I can come back up this way.”

He shouldn’t ask. “How soon?” Idiot.

Warren looked like he wanted to smile, but he resisted. “Couple of months, I’d guess.”

Daniel nodded, trying to appear impassive. “I guess I’ll think about it and check in with you in a couple of months then.”

“Fine…I’ll be waiting.” Warren moved out of the way and Daniel walked through the door. “Ah, Jacobi?”

Daniel turned back.

“What was your final opinion on the authenticity of your meal?”

He couldn’t help it. The corner of Daniel’s mouth turned up. “It was pretty damn close to perfect.”

Warren looked triumphant already as he moved closer and leaned against the door frame. Daniel considered not giving him what he wanted so he’d stop looking so smug. But really that would mean neither of them got what they wanted.

So Daniel leaned in and kissed him. 

Warren kept his hands to himself, let Daniel take the lead and control where this would go.

Daniel wasn’t going to let this go anywhere. Not yet. So when Warren’s lips parted, Daniel pulled back. Leaned in to kiss him once more, quick and chaste.

“I’ll see you around. Try not to die.” Daniel said, looking up at Warren. 

Warren’s eyes opened, yet remained half lidded. He smirked. “You know it’s true what they say. The quickest way to a man’s heart is through—“

“I’ll fucking hit you with my car if you finish that sentence.” Daniel rolled his eyes and turned to leave. 

Warren laughed and watched as Daniel tossed his coat into the passenger seat and set the folder on top. 

Daniel sat in the driver’s seat and gripped the wheel tightly. Warren was still standing there in the same spot and the same way he was when Daniel kissed him, like he had nothing to do and not a care in the world. 

He looked…good. Tempting, even. Like if Daniel didn’t have the threat of a forceful extraction by Lovelace hanging over him, he might just get out of the car and march straight back into that motel room. And do what? He didn’t know.

He didn’t even know  _why_. They hadn’t fixed anything that needed fixing. Daniel had done his best to avoid the important conversations. All they’d done was eat and then argue and then…cuddle a little before eating and arguing again. 

Daniel started the engine and finally backed out of the spot. He watched Warren out of the corner of his eye, tried to resist the urge to look at him before he pulled away. He couldn’t. He looked, Warren waved, and then Daniel drove away.

Daniel grimaced when Isabel opened the door as he reached for the handle. “Oh….hey.”

Isabel pulled him into the apartment and closed the door. “You know what you did wrong, right? I really don’t feel like scolding you.”

Daniel sighed. “Yes, I do. I went in secret. I didn’t come back when I told Hera I’d be back. And…I saw Kepler.”

She folded her arms. “That’s about right. And though I hate Kepler, that’s not why I’m angry with you.”

“Oh, come on. We’d have no issue here if I’d just told everyone I was going to see him? I find that hard to believe.”

“He’s…he doesn’t scare me any more. He’s just a soldier with no cause…basically useless. We all spent enough time with Pryce and Cutter to see Kepler was just a weapon. Beyond that…unimportant. So if you want to go have a booty call in the middle of the night then at least don’t leave us in the dark.”

Daniel blinked at her. “Booty call? God, you think I’m that easy?”

Isabel frowned. “I don’t…but—“

“Okay, hold on. I may be easy for cute guys in bars but I would never be easy for Warren. Trust me.” 

Isabel smirked. “That’s good to hear.”

Hera groaned. “That’s it? Ooh Jacobi’s back so everything’s fine? No, I don’t think so. I was worried sick, Daniel. You can’t do that to me again.”

“We’re his friends, not his babysitters. We can’t tell him what he can and can’t do.”

“That’s not…I’m not mad he saw Kepler. I wouldn’t have even been mad if he told me he was going to stay the night.”

“I’m still here,” Daniel reminded her. 

“Sorry, I just…I was just scared. You were there, talking to me the whole drive out, and even texting me while you were on your dinner date with Kepler or whatever, and then just…gone. You disappeared and I had no idea what was going on. I couldn’t do anything, I was just stuck here and…useless. And I told myself to calm down, that you were perfectly capable of handling yourself. And I was okay because Eiffel was very good at distracting me with his in depth analysis of the new Star Wars movies, but…when he fell asleep I just kept thinking about all of the things that could’ve happened to you. And what if you didn’t come back?...We can’t lose anyone else.  _I_  can’t lose anyone else.”

“Hera…” Isabel put on her best comforting voice. 

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I got distracted, I drank to drown some bad feelings, and then I fell asleep. But I’m back now, and that’s not going to happen again.”

“Do you promise?” She asked. 

“I promise that…I’ll take you with me if I ever have to leave like that again,” Daniel replied.

Isabel raised a brow. 

Hera sighed. “Okay, that…that sounds pretty good. I mean, obviously you can’t take  _me_  with you, but if you give me control over your phone and its camera I think that would be acceptable.”

“What happened with Kepler?” Isabel asked. “Why were you drinking? What did he say to you?”

“Actually…wasn’t his fault this time.” Daniel flipped open the folder. “He gave me this. I wasn’t prepared so…I spiraled.”

“Oh, that’s…I see.”

“Can you scan that in for me?” Hera asked, voice quieter than usual.

“Yeah…of course. Then I figured I’d take it to be framed.”

“We’ll do that today,” Isabel said. “I’ll scan this and you can put something decent on.”

“Uh…we? I think I can handle it myself.”

“Oh I have total faith in your abilities, Daniel. But I want to come. Are you going to tell me no?” She asked, arms folded.

“No, Sir…I’ll be right back.” Daniel grumbled as he stalked off toward his room. He knew this was a ploy to get him away from Hera to talk. He didn’t yet know what he wanted to say.

“Tell me what your plan is concerning Kepler.”

There it was. Her playfulness from flirting with the employee disappeared and she looked down at Daniel, serious.

“Don’t know. He’s leaving anyway. Got a couple of months to figure things out.”

Isabel sighed, folded her arms. “What do you need to figure out? Do you want to talk about it?”

“Uh…not really.”

“Well you refuse to see a therapist…you know you’re gonna have to talk to someone at some point.”

The employee returned and so did Isabel’s smile.

Daniel frowned and watched her assemble the frame. She turned it over and there was Alana’s picture, nested safely inside. The border cut off the  _Goddard_  watermark in the bottom right corner.

Then it was wrapped in brown paper and handed to him. 

Isabel took the long way home. 

“What am I supposed to tell you?” He finally asked. 

“Just…how you feel, I suppose. About seeing him.”

He closed his eyes and leaned against the window. “It feels good. Sometimes. There are moments when I remember the good times and how strongly I felt about him. But then I remember how much of it was bad times, especially toward the end. And then I start to wonder what the fuck I’m doing. What’s gonna happen, I’m gonna, what, date him? Like some fucking…normal dude? That doesn’t make sense. It’s too…it doesn’t feel real. I kissed him. It was soft and maybe even qualified as romantic. Which is fucking weird and  _wrong_  because it’s  _Kepler_. He’s not soft or romantic. Fuck, neither am I.”

They pulled up to a red light and Isabel looked over at him. “With the other guys, the ones you meet at bars, how do you feel? Do you ever want to date them?”

Daniel laughed. “Are you kidding? You think any of them would want to date me? Or that I’d subject them to that?”

“Hey. Don’t talk like that.”

“Look, Captain, you’re sweet. But no guy deserves the fucked up mess that is me besides Kepler. He made me this way; he’s just as bad.”

“God, do you even realize how stupid that sounds?” She asked, turning onto Daniel’s road. “We came here to start fresh. You’re the only one holding so tightly to the past.”

“Because I’m the only one like me. You’re all good people. You’ve lost so much and you deserve better, but I don’t.”

“Bullshit, but then what does that mean? Are you going to run away and join him and go right back to the way things were?”

“No,” he said. “But I thought about it. How much easier it would be. How I wouldn’t feel so out of place, like an imposter.”

Isabel parked her truck. “You were used. You did bad things, and though it doesn’t excuse you, you were conditioned and convinced to do those things. You’ve been given an opportunity to try again. To show yourself how you’re supposed to be, how you are when the decisions are yours. Not Goddard’s. Not Kepler’s.”

Daniel didn’t know what to say. So far all he’d shown himself was that he was an insignificant, tired, cynical man who let charming men use him.

“We love you. Honestly. We all do.”

Daniel looked at her. It felt like she was breaking a rule in saying it out loud in seriousness.

“We have each other, and it would feel as though a part of our family was missing if you left. Hopefully that means something to you.”

Daniel blinked. “It does.”

“You deserve to be happy. Do you think he’d make you happy?”

Daniel shrugged. “He has the potential to, sure. Would he? Doubt it.”

“You said you have months to think about this. If you go right back to hating him when he’s gone, then I think you should consider the possibility that you don’t actually care for him. That it’s just this…crush on teacher that’s going to take some time to shake.”

Daniel smirked and opened his door. “Too smart for your own good. You coming up?”

“No, I should go home. I sent Doug over the keep Renee busy while I dealt with you. We don’t want to make her suspicious.”

“Great,” Daniel groaned. “You enlisted Eiffel. Does that mean he’s up to speed?”

“Ehhh somewhat…but you know he’s the biggest softie of the group. He’s not going to rat you out. But…you should consider talking to Renee yourself. She would appreciate you trusting her with the truth.”

“I’ll consider it,” he agreed. “See you Wednesday.”

“Mm, don’t forget to bring cards against humanity. She hasn’t stopped talking about it since last time.”

Daniel rolled his eyes. “You got it.”

“Thanks, pumpkin.” She beamed at him. 

Daniel hung the photo on the wall in his living room after arguing with Hera over where it would look best. She won in the end.

“I can’t get her out of my head sometimes,” Hera said, voice soft. 

Daniel stretched out on the couch. “What do you mean?”

“I mean…I saw everything that happened on the ship. So I have these memories of her. And…I see her. In my head, when I’m sleeping. I think I construct a version of her for comfort when I’m not actively engaging with you or the apartment. And it feels good to see her and talk to her, but then it hurts when I wake up again.”

“I know what that’s like.”

“Eiffel tries so hard to understand me. To treat me like a normal person. And I love him, really I do. But Maxwell knew I’m not a human…she didn’t try to pretend I was. She treated me like I was different but no less important for it. Like I was special…”

“You are special. And I’m sorry I’m not like her. Her understanding was so beyond mine—“

“It’s okay, Jacobi. Honestly. It doesn’t feel bad to be treated like a normal person. I feel like…your friend. And that feels good.”

“That’s…I’m glad to hear that.”

“But maybe, uhm…you could tell me stories about her? Not right now, but, you know…sometime.”

“Yeah…” Daniel smiled. “That’d be nice.”

When their Wednesday game night arrived, Daniel finally told Renee about his little trip. She’d been initially angry, but quickly forced herself to relax on account of Daniel being home and safe, and no Goddard employees turning up.

Several weeks later, still buzzed off of Renee’s wine, Daniel collapsed into bed. “Hey, Hera?”

“Yes, Jacobi?”

“Would it be super dumb to call Warren right now?”

“Well it would seem you’re still drunk, so yes. It would be very stupid.”

“Mmkay…call him for me?”

“No!” Hera laughed. “I’m not enabling you.”

“I just wanna talk to him!”

“Then you’re gonna have to wait until the morning.”

Daniel frowned and pulled out his phone. 

“I will jam the signal. Put it away.”

“You’re not my mom! If you block the signal in here I’ll just go outside, and you know what? It’s  _cold_  out there. You wanna be responsible for me getting sick, Hera? Hm?”

“God, you are insufferable.”

Daniel smiled to himself and squinted at his phone, scrolling through the contacts. 

He closed his eyes and held the phone to his ear. It took a while to get an answer. 

But finally, “Hello?”

There was something wrong about the voice but Daniel was too buzzed to process it. “Warren. Where are you?”

“Oh my—…is that  _you_ , Daniel? How the hell are ya?”

Daniel’s heart dropped to his stomach and he sat up in bed. “Cutter.”

“Ooh! This is so exciting! Hold on, let me put you on speaker…” 

He quickly began to sober up. His heart started to race and he looked up at the camera in the hallway to check that Hera was paying attention. The light blinked.

“Warren! Daniel’s calling, dear!”

“Damn it, Jacobi…hang up before they trace your call,” Warren sounded…bad.

“Don’t be silly!” Cutter said. “We don’t have the technology for that right now thanks to your friends. We couldn’t trace you if we wanted to. But…I have a feeling you might be able to do that on your end. Which means you know exactly where we are. Is that right, Daniel?”

Daniel swallowed and took a deep breath. “What do you want?”

Cutter laughed. “I already have Warren. He made me very mad, Daniel. You and your friends did too, but…hm. I wonder. Are you still going to try to save your Colonel after everything he put you all through?”

Daniel didn’t answer. Cutter always had more to say. 

“Well…if you do…” Cutter lowered his voice. “We’ll be right here. I’ll even leave a light on for you.”

“Don’t be stupid, Jacobi,” Warren said. And then Daniel heard what sounded like a fist connecting with a face and Warren grunted. 

“Hmm…Rachel, dear…would you get Miranda a restraining bolt?”

“Right away, Sir.”

“Wait,” Daniel rasped, but he was met with a dial tone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :))))))))

**Author's Note:**

> You’re lovely for reading this, please leave feedback/kudos if you’re so inclined! :)


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